2019 NFL season · final · regular season
NFL penalties by team, 2019
The Buccaneers were flagged the most in 2019: 133 accepted penalties for 1,111 yards, 8.3 a game. The Colts the fewest, 79. The average team: 6.7 a game.
Accepted penalties, as the league counts them: declined and offsetting flags aren’t included. “Drawn” is flags on a team’s opponents. The last column is ours: what the judgment calls were worth to the team in wins, each weighted by the moment it came (a flag in a decided game counts for nothing). Referee calls, 2019
| # | Team | Penalties | Per game | Yards | Drawn | Net | Most flagged for | Calls worth, wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Buccaneers | 133 | 8.3 | 1,111 | 111 | −22 | False Start (23) | −0.49 |
| 2 |  Jaguars | 132 | 8.3 | 1,165 | 102 | −30 | Offensive Holding (36) | −1.23 |
| 3 |  Raiders | 128 | 8.0 | 1,138 | 91 | −37 | Offensive Holding (21) | −1.27 |
| 4 |  Browns | 122 | 7.6 | 1,106 | 107 | −15 | False Start (24) | +0.04 |
| 5 |  Cardinals | 121 | 7.6 | 956 | 114 | −7 | Offensive Holding (23) | −0.18 |
| 6 |  Saints | 120 | 7.5 | 1,036 | 92 | −28 | Offensive Holding (29) | −1.85 |
| 7 |  Falcons | 119 | 7.4 | 956 | 127 | +8 | Offensive Holding (28) | +0.41 |
| 8 |  Rams | 118 | 7.4 | 899 | 105 | −13 | Offensive Holding (25) | −0.51 |
| 9 |  Bills | 116 | 7.3 | 922 | 94 | −22 | False Start (24) | 0.00 |
| 10 |  Jets | 115 | 7.2 | 1,105 | 106 | −9 | Offensive Holding (27) | −0.47 |
| 11 |  Lions | 113 | 7.1 | 937 | 117 | +4 | Offensive Holding (25) | −0.20 |
| 12 |  Steelers | 111 | 6.9 | 893 | 115 | +4 | False Start (23) | +1.01 |
| 13 |  Texans | 111 | 6.9 | 892 | 109 | −2 | False Start (30) | +0.93 |
| 14 |  Broncos | 110 | 6.9 | 912 | 121 | +11 | Offensive Holding (26) | +0.52 |
| 15 |  Cowboys | 109 | 6.8 | 1,008 | 101 | −8 | Offensive Holding (25) | −0.14 |
| 16 |  Seahawks | 109 | 6.8 | 882 | 96 | −13 | Offensive Holding (26) | −0.19 |
| 17 |  Ravens | 109 | 6.8 | 867 | 96 | −13 | Offensive Holding (17) | −0.84 |
| 18 |  Chiefs | 107 | 6.7 | 1,029 | 116 | +9 | Offensive Holding (21) | −0.36 |
| 19 |  49ers | 105 | 6.6 | 939 | 116 | +11 | Offensive Holding (23) | +0.80 |
| 20 |  Washington | 105 | 6.6 | 825 | 94 | −11 | Offensive Holding (27) | −0.24 |
| 21 |  Chargers | 103 | 6.4 | 872 | 108 | +5 | Offensive Holding (23) | −0.44 |
| 22 |  Bears | 103 | 6.4 | 838 | 113 | +10 | Offensive Holding (20) | +0.24 |
| 23 |  Eagles | 100 | 6.3 | 836 | 115 | +15 | Offensive Holding (23) | −0.49 |
| 24 |  Titans | 99 | 6.2 | 932 | 125 | +26 | False Start (22) | +0.35 |
| 25 |  Packers | 99 | 6.2 | 769 | 97 | −2 | False Start (21) | +1.30 |
| 26 |  Vikings | 96 | 6.0 | 895 | 83 | −13 | Offensive Holding (27) | −0.24 |
| 27 |  Patriots | 94 | 5.9 | 828 | 107 | +13 | False Start (15) | +0.62 |
| 28 |  Bengals | 93 | 5.8 | 761 | 122 | +29 | False Start (21) | +0.07 |
| 29 |  Dolphins | 92 | 5.8 | 769 | 111 | +19 | Offensive Holding (20) | +0.96 |
| 30 |  Giants | 90 | 5.6 | 784 | 117 | +27 | Offensive Holding (20) | +0.47 |
| 31 |  Panthers | 87 | 5.4 | 754 | 109 | +22 | Offensive Holding (12) | +1.14 |
| 32 |  Colts | 79 | 4.9 | 670 | 111 | +32 | Offensive Holding (19) | +0.27 |
What gets flagged, 2019
Every accepted penalty in the 2019 regular season by type: 3,448 flags in 256 games, 13.5 a game for both teams together.
| Penalty | Accepted | Share | Called most on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Holding | 719 | 21% | Jaguars (36) |
| False Start | 547 | 16% | Texans (30) |
| Defensive Pass Interference | 269 | 8% | Raiders (15) |
| Defensive Holding | 244 | 7% | Chiefs (18) |
| Neutral Zone Infraction | 162 | 5% | Buccaneers (15) |
| Illegal Block Above the Waist | 156 | 5% | Broncos (10) |
| Unnecessary Roughness | 156 | 5% | Raiders (11) |
| Defensive Offside | 143 | 4% | Raiders (11) |
| Roughing the Passer | 134 | 4% | Ravens (11) |
| Delay of Game | 121 | 4% | Packers (10) |
| Offensive Pass Interference | 98 | 3% | Patriots (8) |
| Illegal Use of Hands | 96 | 3% | Saints (9) |
| Face Mask | 72 | 2% | Jaguars (6) |
| Illegal Formation | 63 | 2% | Ravens (6) |
| Illegal Shift | 40 | 1% | Rams (5) |
Questions
Which NFL team has the most penalties in 2019?
The Buccaneers: 133 accepted penalties for 1,111 yards in 16 games, 8.3 a game.
Which team has the fewest penalties?
The Colts, with 79 for 670 yards (4.9 a game).
What is the most common NFL penalty?
Offensive Holding: 719 accepted in the 2019 regular season, 21% of all flags. Then false start (547) and defensive pass interference (269).
Did the flags decide games?
Some did. Weighted by the moment each came, judgment calls (holding, pass interference, roughing; not false starts) helped the Packers most, +1.30 wins, and hurt the Saints most, −1.85. Flag counts and call luck are related, not the same: across 224 team-seasons since 2019 the correlation is −0.26. A false start costs five yards; a pass interference flag on third down late in a close game can swing it.
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Penalties by team, every season · Is the NFL rigged? · Referee crews · 2019 luck rankings